Microsoft also is making a new beta of the Windows Phone Developer tools available as of today, as well. Now known as the Windows Phone SDK (software development kit), the tools are in beta 2 (according to the download page) and can be used to develop applications for both the currently shipping "NoDo" Windows Phone operating system build, as well as for the Mango update.

Microsoft is making the Mango beta available via its create.msdn.com hub. Developers with a validated App Hub account are being allowed to flash the beta onto their retail phones. Developers are allowed to flash Mango onto only one phone per developer.Developers need to download the Beta 2 of the SDK before obtaining the operating system update.

Mango includes many new features, including an HTML5 IE 9 browser, deep Twitter integration, third-party application multitasking, new Bing search functionality and more.

Microsoft has said Mango will be installed on new phones as of this fall. There's no word as to when those who already have Windows Phone handsets will be getting the Mango update, as carriers need to "test" and approve the operating system build before Microsoft pushes it to handsets.

Mary Jo Foley has covered the tech industry for 30 years for a variety of publications, including ZDNet, eWeek and Baseline. She is the author of Microsoft 2.0: How Microsoft plans to stay relevant in the post-Gates era (John Wiley & Sons, 2008). She also is the cohost of the "Windows Weekly" podcast on the TWiT network.
Got a tip? Se...
Full Bio

Disclosure

Freelance journalist/blogger Mary Jo Foley has nothing to disclose. WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get). I do not own Microsoft stock or stock in any of its partners or competitors. I have no business ventures that are sponsored by Microsoft or any of its partners or competitors.